Thursday, December 15, 2011

Queer Nativity 1: Manger scene as gay adoption party

Photos by Baub Alred launch the LGBT Nativity series at the Jesus in Love Blog. A variety of fun and beautiful photos of queer manger scenes will be posted here between now and Christmas.

Five people submitted images for our LGBT Nativity contest, and more are expected soon. They reimagine the Holy Family in liberating new ways because, after all, love makes a family. Their creations can free viewers to experience the divine in new ways and empower those who have been excluded by church tradition.

“Blaine and Patrick’s Adoption Party” is a three-part series by Baub Alred, a digital artist living and working in Champaign, IL. His images highlight the radical nature of Christ’s birth in two ways -- by presenting his parents as an inter-racial couple as well as a same-sex couple. The figures obviously come from a traditional Nativity set, but Alred expands their meaning beyond Bethlehem with a witty title suggesting that this could be a contemporary gay adoption.

Mixing and matching Nativity sets to create queer scenes can encourage LGBT people to approach Christmas with a childlike spirit again. Alred brings back the fun of the Christmas, which can be a lonely time for LGBT folk who may be estranged from family and the hyper-hetero imagery of the typical manger scenes.

Surely the love between parents and child is sacred now as it was 2,000 years ago, even if the parents are queer. Alred succeeds in expressing their love by placing the two fathers close together in a realistic pose that brings the toy figures to life. The photos are tinted yellow with darkened edges, evoking the antique feeling of old-fashioned Daguerreotype photography. One image focuses tightly on the Holy Family, while the rest of the series presents a larger view, either with animals or with human visitors.

Alred’s playful photo of gay shepherds (above) is a reminder that surely there were a few shepherds who felt same-sex attractions while keeping watch over their flocks by night in the field around Bethlehem when Jesus was born. The modern names suggest that the story is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago.

His inter-racial manger scene (below) shows Jesus with two fathers. A price tag is visible, perhaps hinting at the price that Jesus will pay at the cross. Traditionally this somber reminder is provided by a Magi who brings the baby a gift of myrrh, a spice used for embalming.

Three queer Magi bring gifts to Mary, Josephine and baby Jesus in a Nativity scene sculpted by an anonymous artist. Instead of the traditional three kings, these Magi are a drag king, a drag nun and a LGBTQ-rights activist.
__________________________________________

Christmas is about a miraculous pregnancy: a baby born to a virgin. If God can do that, then why not make a man pregnant? Andrew Craig Williams envisions a man carrying the Christ child in his womb.
__________________________________________

For more about the lesbian and gay Nativity scenes, see our previous posts:

Donate

Jesus in Love links

About me

Kittredge Cherry is a lesbian Christian author and art historian. She founded Jesus In Love in 2005 to support LGBT spirituality and the arts. She was ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches, an LGBT-affirming Christian denomination, and served as its National Ecumenical Officer.

Vision statement

Jesus in Love supports lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer (LGBTQ) spirituality, with an emphasis on art and literature. It promotes artistic and religious freedom and teaches love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is based on these beliefs: God loves all people, including sexual minorities. The creative process is sacred. The queer visions, especially the gay Jesus and LGBT saints, will free people to experience the divine in new ways and lead to a more just world. Jesus in Love was founded by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry as her personal project.It is her gift to the world. Many thanks to everyone who supports her vision.

Comment policy

The Jesus in Love Blog encourages open, respectful discussion through comments. We maintain a safe, polite environment by moderating comments based on the following principles:

1. No personal attacks.2. No attacks on groups (including claims that homosexuality is a sin).3. No repetitive comments (same person repeating same idea multiple times on same post).4. No spam.5. Comments must be on topic.6. I reserve the right not to approve any comments for any reason, including those that I find offensive or that create a hostile atmosphere.